1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of treating a neurological disease or other disease of the brain or central nervous system and more specifically relates to delivering therapeutic agents directly into the central nervous system or specific brain structures.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
A problem with orally administered drugs is unpleasant side effects including severe nausea and gastric ulcers which patients develop following chronic use. Further, with chronic oral therapy the therapeutic value diminishes over time requiring dose escalation. In addition, limited transport of drugs across the blood brain barrier increases the potential for systemic adverse side-effects. Moreover, delivery of a drug directly to the brain has an advantage of a direct target and minimizes other side effects and systemic problems throughout the body or other areas of the body which are not affected by neurological pathology.
Therefore, there is a continuing significant need in the field of intracranial treatment, particularly with insertion of catheters into the interior of the brain, for improvements in accuracy of insertion and avoidance of injury, while retaining efficiency and ease of use for effective treatment of neurological disorders including Alzheimer's without the side effects and problems encountered with standard drug delivery.
There is also a need in the field of intracranial treatment to minimize invasiveness and to reduce the number of instruments which penetrate brain tissue or the number of times a single instrument must penetrate brain tissue.
Furthermore, there is a need in the field of intracranial treatment to provide the ability to precisely locate the position of a catheter during insertion to ensure proper positioning.
The present invention relates to the intracranial transfer of drugs or fluids or liquid based materials and, in particular, to devices for effecting such transfer.